The first Al-Ittihad Football team and its guest, Al-Taawoun, were content with a goalless draw during the confrontation that brought them together, on Friday, at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, in front of more than 9,000 spectators in the matches of the 27th round of the Saudi Roshan League.
The negative result that ended in the confrontation between them is the second in the history of their confrontations in the professional league, as the result occurred at the same stadium on February 9, 2018-2019 season.
Both teams wasted all the opportunities presented to them, especially the hosts, who were the most threatening to the goal. It is Al-Ittihad’s fifth draw in the league this season, and the eighth for Al-Taawoun.
The result kept Al-Ittihad in fourth place, with 74 points, and Al-Taawoun in fifth place with the same point score, with a scoring advantage for the Western team.
Moroccan Abdel Razzaq Hamdallah, the Al-Ittihad striker, missed a penalty kick just eight minutes after the starting whistle, and it was awarded by the Spanish Cesar Soto, the referee of the match, after the Brazilian Romarinho was fouled inside the 18th zone, which was saved by the Brazilian Maislon, the Al-Taawoun goalkeeper.
The home team controlled the course of the half, and the attacks of Hamdallah, Romarinho, Frenchman Karim Benzema, and his compatriot N’Golo Kante posed a threat to the visitors’ goal, who relied on rebounds, which did not pose the slightest threat to the goal of Abdullah Al-Mayouf, the Al-Taawoun goalkeeper, so that the first half ended in a draw. Passive.
The start of the second half came as a precedent, with the continued series of wasting Al-Ittihad chances by Benzema and Jota. Hammam Al-Hamami, the “substitute”, was close to snatching the match’s goal, but the Brazilian goalkeeper saved his goal and prevented Al-Ittihad’s goal at the end of the confrontation.
Al-Ittihad will meet its counterpart Al-Wahda in the semi-finals of the Diriyah Saudi Super Cup, next Monday, while Al-Taawoun will host its rival Al-Khaleej, on April 18, in the 28th round of the Roshan League.
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